Coming Out
by Megan Lynch-Peabody
Summary: In which Carrie Kelley comes out to Bruce with the help of her girlfriend and Alfred. Originally published on AO3.


**For those who don't know, Carrie Kelley is from an alternate comic book series titled _The Dark Knight Returns_ , in which they're Robin, making them technically the first female Robin. Carrie is extremely underrated and they deserve more attention. **

**Note that this fanfic is different than the comic series, where instead of Bruce continuing to be Batman, he quits in order to raise Carrie. Also note that I will refer Carrie with they/them pronouns because in this fanfic, they are genderfluid.**

 **I would like it if you please keep any hate or discrimination out of the comments. I'm very supportive towards LGBT people and this is meant to be a tribute to both Carrie Kelley and for people who are struggling to come out.**

 **Thank you.**

Michelle put the final touches to Carrie's outfit, straightening out the necktie. She grinned and eagerly clasped her hands together. "Oh, Carrie," She gushed. "You look so beautiful!"

Carrie quickly turned to face their bedroom mirror. Green eyes widened at their reflection. Carrie brushed their fingers through their short hair, which was now parted to the side with bangs. They carefully examined their hair before they reached to touch the cool fabric of the evening suit. "I..." Carrie breathed.

"Is the hair okay?" Michelle's face twisted with worry. "I mean, I'm no barber, but um, maybe I can get Alfred here to-"

"Michelle," Carrie faced their girlfriend. "It's perfect." They couldn't stop the grin from taking over their face. Carrie looked back at the mirror and squeaked in joy.

A sigh of relief dispersed from Michelle's lips. "Oh, thank god," She hid her grin behind her hands. "For a second I thought I fucked up."

"No," Carrie embraced her. "I love it so much."

"I love you so much,"

Carrie gasped and smacked Michelle. "Oh my god, Michelle," They guffawed. "You're so gay."

"So are you!" The pair laughed, but Carrie stopped abruptly. Michelle looked at them. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Carrie hesitated. "I, I just...what if..." They looked down at their suit and squeezed Michelle's hand. "What if he doesn't like this?"

"Carrie," Michelle said. "We've been over this. It'll be okay."

"I know," Carrie said. "But… I don't know. I just keep thinking: what if Bruce reacts like my parents did?"

"He won't," Michelle assured them. "You know that."

"But he could," Carrie said. She clenched her lips together and crossed her arms. "I… I don't know… I just,"

"Hey, hey," Michelle shushed. Her hands cupped Carrie's face. "Breathe, Carrie, it's okay," She was quiet for a moment until, "Bruce isn't... he isn't like your parents." She shook her head. "Those assholes. No offense."

Carrie shrugged. "It's okay," They said. "They didn't care about me."

"But Bruce does," Michelle urged. "He… he took you out of there the moment he found out about your parents, Carrie. He really cares about you." She paused and her face twisted in contemplation. "Sorry, I'm not good with words."

"No, it's fine, Michelle," Carrie said.

"Thanks," She smiled, but it quickly disappeared. Her eyes anxiously glanced at the floor and her mouth twitched.

"What is it?" Carrie asked.

Michelle caught herself thinking, and she forced a laugh. "Oh, um… it's nothing."

"Come on, tell me," Carrie said. "I just poured my heart out to you, now it's your turn," They waited for Michelle to say something. They sighed. "Look… we're both scared for this, but I'm here for you, Michelle. Please tell me what's up."

Michelle crossed her arms. Her mouth stretched into a straight line. "You…" Carrie looked at her expectantly. "You're not the only one who's terrified about this." She watched as Carrie tilted their head, but they said nothing. Michelle stared at her. "Look, I mean… hell, I'm dating the kid of the billionaire Bruce fucking Wayne! Of course I'm gonna be terrified, Carrie." She said. "He could accept you, yeah, but who's to say that he's gonna be okay with you dating me?" She paced the room. "I just keep thinking… he has all this power, he could… I don't know, he could get my parents fired from their jobs, or, or I won't get into college… I don't know."

Carrie stared at her. Had she really been feeling that way? "Michelle," They said slowly. "I… I didn't think you were so scared."

"I don't know," Michelle said. She shrugged. "I guess I just didn't want you to freak out even more."

Carrie shrugged. "Well, I'm glad you told me, but… Bruce wouldn't do that to you, Michelle." They took Michelle's hand into their own. "He knows that you're my best friend, and being my girlfriend doesn't make a difference if you think about it."

Michelle looked at them. "You know, by that logic, it means you also have nothing to fear with Bruce."

"What?"

"Come on, if you don't think he won't do anything bad to me, then why do you think he'll do something bad to you?"

Carrie froze when the realization hit them. They stared at the floor. Damn, they thought.

"Like I said before, Carrie," Michelle squeezed their hand. "He cares about you. He took you out of your parents' house as soon as he found out about them. It'll be fine." She watched Carrie shrug. "And... if he doesn't," She pursed her lips. "He'll have to face my wrath." Carrie snickered at the mental image of Michelle going up against Bruce: the retired Dark Knight of Gotham City. "But," Michelle cut off Carrie's laugh. "If you're not ready… we can call this off. It's okay, sweetie"

"No," Carrie assured her. "I'm... I'm ready. I need to do this." They grasped Michelle's hand, "I trust you, and thanks for telling me how you feel. You matter to me a lot, Michelle."

"Yeah," Michelle breathed and looked at Carrie. The two faces were inches apart, and a longing look filled Carrie's eyes. Michelle didn't waste a second as she leaned down and pressed her lips against Carrie's. The other felt their knees nearly give away but they caught themselves. Carrie stood on their toes and threw their arms around Michelle. The two broke apart and giggles released from their mouths.

A knock on wood threw them out of their world.

"Ladies," Carrie recognized Alfred's voice through the door. "Or, pardon me, lady and gentleman, are you two ready? Master Bruce is waiting for you both in the parlor."

"We're coming, Alfred," Carrie called. They paused and quickly added: "Oh, and uh, gentle-person is fine for tonight."

"I'll make note of it, Carrie." She grinned at his supporting voice.

Michelle grasped Carrie's hand. "You ready?"

Carrie nodded. "Yeah, let's do this."

They both stepped outside, where Alfred was patiently waiting. "Carrie, dear," He beamed. "You look marvelous."

Carrie's cheeks flushed red. "Aw, thanks, Alf. You can thank Michelle for this."

"Yeah," Michelle put her arm around Carrie. "Maybe I should become a hair stylist instead of a journalist."

"Are you kidding?" Carrie smirked. "You know how many heads you'd ruin with a pair of scissors? I'm lucky that I only had you use hair gel."

"Oh, shut up." Michelle smacked Carrie's shoulder and they snickered.

Alfred watched the scene with a smile. The past few weeks had been hard on Carrie, so it made him smile when he saw them relax with Michelle. She really was good for them. Of course, now wasn't the best time to be joking around. Bruce was waiting in the parlor for Carrie, and Alfred knew how important that this night is to Carrie.

"Alright, you two," Alfred said. "Master Bruce is waiting in the parlor for the both of you."

"Okay, okay," Michelle said. She faced Carrie, who had a worried look in their eyes. "You ready?"

Carrie stared at the ground, contemplating for an answer, and then they nodded. "Yeah... yeah, I'm ready."

Michelle smiled and grasped their hand. Together, all three walked to the parlor.

Bruce was sitting in his armchair when they approached him. He smiled at the group. "Carrie, Michelle," He nodded at his daughter and her friend, but then his eyes immediately caught sight of Carrie's suit. "Carrie…"

They sucked in a breath. _First moment of truth,_ Carrie thought.

Bruce was silent, and then he nodded. "You look nice."

Carrie sighed in relief.

"You wanted to talk to me about something, Carrie?" Bruce asked.

"Um, yeah, Bruce," Carrie wrung their hands. "It's, uh, kinda important."

Bruce nodded. "Alright, go ahead."

Carrie's chest tightened in a knot. They looked at Michelle, who squeezed their hand, and then at Alfred, who smiled at them. Bruce watched them intently. What was Carrie so nervous about?

Finally, Carrie spoke. "Bruce, I'm genderfluid and I'm in love with Michelle."

In the following moments, as cliché as it sounds, Carrie swore they could hear a pin drop in the room. The one sound in the room was from the nearby grandfather clock ticking and the gentle crackling of the fireplace. Carrie released a breath and watched Bruce's face as wrinkled skin lifted thin eyebrows, but no words came from his lips. Carrie stared at them and waited for something, anything, to come out of his mouth.

Nothing.

Their stomach plummeted and words spilled out. "I've been in love with Michelle since we were kids. She makes me so happy and she helped me realize that I'm genderfluid," Carrie's words picked up in pace.

Hearing his daughter's panicked voice, Bruce blinked back into reality. His eyes widened at what was unfolding. "Carrie," Bruce took a step towards them, but Michelle beat him to it. She held Carrie's arm.

"I don't feel like a girl but I don't feel like a boy," Carrie's face flushed red and their eyes began to sting. "And I'm sorry if I'm not the daughter you wanted. My parents didn't understand it and I'm scared that you'll throw me out and you won't love me-"

"Carrie, please," Bruce was getting impatient.

"I just want you to accept me for who I-"

"Caroline Wayne, listen to me!"

Carrie stopped and looked at Bruce. Their eyes were glistened with tears as they stared at Bruce. Shaking their head, Carrie shoved their hands behind their glasses and sobbed into Michelle's arms.

Bruce recoiled back, and his face crumbled in regret. The mutter of colorful words reached Michelle's ears. She saw him take a step forward and she tightened her grip on her girlfriend, but she stopped. His face told her everything. He was sorry and he wanted to reach out to Carrie, so she let him. Michelle loosened her grip on Carrie, and Bruce immediately stepped forth and embraced Carrie. The teen froze at the sudden movement but then they relaxed in the warmth of their father's arms. Carrie choked on a sob.

"Christ, Carrie," Bruce muttered. He brushed Carrie's hair with his fingers. He looked up at Alfred, who had moved closer to Michelle and watched the scene. "Alfred, please get Carrie some water."

"Of course, Master Bruce," He said before leaving the room.

Bruce led Carrie to the couch with Michelle following. He sat Carrie down and knelt in front of them. "Carrie," He said. "I need you to take deep breaths. I can't understand you when you're upset."

Carrie looked up at him, eyes widened. He's taking it okay, they thought. Carrie forced themselves to inhale and exhale.

"Keep your eyes on me, Carrie," Bruce instructed. "That's it."

Alfred returned with the water, which Carrie gulped down in a matter of seconds. Michelle squeezed their arm and the two looked at Bruce anxiously.

"Now," Bruce said. "What were you saying?"

Carrie blinked, and hesitated in answering with, "Um, I'm genderfluid and I'm in love with Michelle?"

Bruce nodded. His eyes held a faraway glance within. He was deep in thought, Carrie noted. "Okay, okay... ah,"

Carrie stared at him. "What?"

He looked at them and then at the ground. "Carrie, I'm going to be honest," He said. "I'm not up to date with this whole…" He waved his hand. "LGBT stuff, as much as I should be. Do you mind explaining what genderfluid means?"

A small gasp left Carrie's mouth and they looked at Michelle. She grinned. Carrie looked back at Bruce with a grin on their face. "Well," Carrie began. "For me, it's like… I don't really feel like a girl, but I don't feel like a boy either. I just kinda..." They shrugged. "Flow between the two?"

"Okay," Bruce nodded. "I, um… there are certain pronouns for this kind of stuff, right?"

"Yeah," Carrie nodded eagerly. "I like they/them pronouns, but I'm fine with feminine or masculine pronouns if I feel like it."

"I go by she/her pronouns by the way," Michelle chimed in.

"Alright," Bruce said. "Is there anything else?"

"Um, yeah, actually," Carrie rubbed her neck. "I'd like it if you didn't call me your daughter. Like, if you're introducing me to someone, it'd be cool if you'd say something like, 'This is my kid, Carrie,' instead of, 'This is my daughter, Carrie.'"

"Okay," Bruce responded.

Nobody said a word for a moment. Bruce looked to be in deep thought again. Carrie glanced at Michelle, and then back at Bruce. "You're… not mad?"

"Why would I be mad, Carrie?" Bruce asked.

Carrie raised an eyebrow and looked at Michelle, then Alfred, and then back at their dad. "Well… I don't know. I kinda expected you to get all mad or something,"

"They were just afraid that you were gonna blow up like their parents did." Michelle blurted out.

Carrie sat up abruptly. "Michelle!"

"I'm sorry," Michelle said. "But it had to come out."

Bruce looked at Michelle, and then at the ground. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. Carrie held their breath and tapped their knee. Finally, Bruce spoke. "Look, Carrie," He began. "I know I'm not the best father figure there is. You deserve a younger dad who spends time with you, and a mother figure whom you can talk to."

"That's not true," Carrie interrupted. "You've been the best dad I've ever had. I don't care if you're young or old or whatever. I was just scared that you were gonna react like my parents did."

Bruce smiled. "That's good to hear," He paused. "I don't know a lot about this whole LGBT stuff, so I need some help here because I want to get this right for you."

Carrie gaped. He was okay with it! "Yeah, totally, Bruce," They said. "And... thanks for not blowing up like my parents did."

Bruce smiled. "I would never disown you, Carrie," He put his hand on their shoulder. "You're my daughter- I mean, kid, and I'm never going to let you go."

The tears sprung back into Carrie's eyes after Bruce spoke. They briefly hesitated for a moment, but then they leaped forward to hug Bruce. Carrie felt Bruce stiffen at the hug, but then he returned their affection. "Thanks, Bruce."

"Of course, Carrie," He replied. When he released from the hug, he looked at the girl beside Carrie. "Michelle," He said.

Michelle held her breath. Carrie's eyes darted back and forth between the two. _Second moment of truth..._

Finally, Bruce nodded and held out his hand. "Welcome to the family, Michelle,"

She eagerly shook his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Wayne," She said. "I promise I'll be the best girlfriend for Carrie-"

"Please," He interrupted. "Call me Bruce. You're a great friend to Carrie, and you'll be just the same as her girlfriend."

Michelle sighed. "Yes," She whispered. Carrie snickered and hugged her. "I told you it would go well, sweetie."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Carrie pecked her cheek.

Bruce watched the scene fondly. He had a feeling that there was more between the two than what they were letting onto; it was just a matter of time on when Carrie would say something about it.

A loud pop echoed in the room. The three jumped at the noise and swiveled their heads to see Alfred in the doorway with a bottle of champagne along with a tray. "I believe this calls for a toast," He said, pouring the bottle into a glass.

Carrie grinned and stood from their seat. "Alright,"

"That means champagne for Master Bruce and a soda for you and Michelle, Carrie."

They pouted and flopped back onto the couch. "No fair," Carrie said. "It's a special occasion."

"Yes," Alfred replied as he passed the glass to Bruce, along with two soda cans to Carrie and Michelle. "A special occasion that you can pick up on your twenty-first birthday."

"Okay, okay, sure," Carrie shrugged. "Five more years to go." They popped open their soda can.

Bruce held up his glass first, followed by Carrie, Michelle, and Alfred. "To Carrie," He said.

"To Carrie." Everyone clinked their cups and sipped their respective drinks.

As they downed the cold soda, Carrie couldn't help but think that nearly two years ago, they were trapped in a home with drug addict parents and a secret girlfriend. Now, they were the official kid to Bruce Wayne and they didn't have to hide themselves any longer. Damn. Pretty neat how things turned out, Carrie turned to kiss Michelle without a second thought. Pretty neat.


End file.
